CAVEMAN COMMANDMENTS

Did you know ...

Our bodies were designed to forage. If we take the data of today regarding man's walk on earth ... our bodies efficiently ran on the caveman’s diet. So are we in the practice of eating like the caveman ancestors ... No, most of us are not Cavemen, We don't eat what we find on the forest floor, what we raised, or what we killed. They ate nuts, seeds, vegetables, eggs, meat, etc.

Our metabolisms no longer efficiently process the number of calories our bodies’require with the standard "three square meals a day". Our diets are now comprised of food that now has less to do the natural requirements of our bodies and more to do with food science. The concept of three meals per day is fairly new and brought about primarily by the industrial revolution in this country. It was inconvenient for employees to be absent from their factory work stations more than once daily, thus creating the midday lunch, prohibiting meals more often.

The typical American diet is loaded with processed foods. Processed foods and human“designed” complex carbohydrates were/are designed to feed the masses, not for healthy living. These have the potential to make us overweight and unhealthy.This category includes all bleached flour products, pastas, white bread (and most any processed bread in general), pancakes, donuts, waffles, etc. The stores make larger profits on the processed foods and conveniently place those items in the aisles located directly in front of the entry.

Want some help in kicking the habit ... Follow the simple "Caveman Commandments” for a lean healthy body:

1. Eat a small protein-based meal every 2-3 hours and include a variety of veggies. The goalis to get all of your bodies complex carbohydrate requirements eating leafy greens, broccoli, asparagus, etc…small = these mini meals should never be larger than the size of your fist.

2. Never plan a starchy complex carbohydrate. If you don’t plan to eat these types of carbohydrate, you will greatly reduce your intake. Don’t make the potatoes, order the pasta, or eat a bun with that high-calorie cheeseburger.

3. If you are trying to lose weight and have to eat complex carbs, eat them before lunchtime or 12 pm. If you are maintaining your weight, do not eat them after 6 pm.

4. Drink water. We often mistake thirst for hunger. Next time you feel hungry and you know you really shouldn't be, drink 16 ounces of cold water.

5. Decide not to drink sodas and high fructose drinks. Do you really want to drink your calories? If you do, adjust your meals to allow for those empty calories. Also noteworthy: A study performed by the Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center and various other studies have shown that diet soda can increase your potential to gain fat (41% increase in risk).

6. Try to eliminate processed foods from your diet. A good way to initiate this is follow the perimeter diet technique during grocery shopping. Caveman foods are typically located in the perimeter of the grocery stores. Besides nuts, seeds, and bottled water there is rarely any reason to enter the aisles when grocery shopping. Avoid the aisles!!

7. Don’t try fad diets. These diets typically rob the body of the nutrients it needs to support lean muscle. The body cannibalizes itself in times of deficit. The goal is to increase muscle mass which increases the bodies’ ability to control fat uptake.

Have a safe and productive day.

By Brad Anderer
Co-worker for Health and Safety